SEC Notebook: Florida Planning Dome Renovation

Wednesday

May 28, 2014 at 11:51 PM

By Robbie AndreuHALIFAX MEDIA SERVICES

DESTIN | Florida is closing in on getting the necessary financial funding to begin major renovations on the O'Connell Center after the 2015-16 season, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said Wednesday at the SEC Spring Meetings."We have some Board of Directors meetings coming up and Board of Trustees meetings coming up and we still have some money to raise," Foley said. "But I'm confident that all these things will come together in the next couple of weeks. We'll certainly know more in about two weeks."I'm confident we're closing in on where we need to be."Foley said the O'Dome will be completely gutted. The project will cost an estimated $45-50 million."Timetable hopefully is to start construction after next year's basketball season and be ready by January 2016," Foley said. "That would be a perfect world."With construction still underway in the fall of 2015, the basketball and volleyball teams will have to find other venues to play home games."Well, you have the volleyball season too, but with those pieces still are being figured out," Foley said. "But as it relates to basketball you'll probably have to play around the state. Any home games you'd have to move around to Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, what have you, because the building will not be ready."UF coach Billy Donovan said the Gators likely will play two games over three days in select cities in Florida, for a total of seven or eight games."It will be pretty neat if we get it to work out the way we hope," Donovan said.

Muschamp calm, confidentMaybe it's because he's spent the past few days at a relaxing beachside resort. Maybe it's because he feels confident in the changes he's made on his staff and the fact all those injured players are returning, including starting quarterback Jeff Driskel.Whatever the reason, Florida football coach Will Muschamp said he's not feeling any discomfort from the hot seat he's on entering the 2014 season."I don't feel any different pressure at all," he said at the SEC Spring Meetings. "We didn't have a good year and it was very unfortunate in what happened, but I have complete confidence in where we are heading."No. 1, we are as deep and talented at running back and receivers as we've been. Jeff Driskel is going to have an outstanding year. I'm very comfortable with the first five to seven offensive linemen and we have the ingredients on defense to be really good. We have two punters that have NFL legs."So, I feel good about our football team. You have to stay healthy and have the ball bounce your way, but I have a lot of confidence in where we are and what we're doing, no question."

Foley on UF-UM gameFoley said there have been no serious discussions about playing Miami in football in the future, but he's open to playing the Hurricanes at a neutral site."Only to the extent that there was a 30-second conversation between (UM athletic director) Blake (James) and I at an ADs meeting in Santa Monica," Foley said of discussions with UM. "I think there's a mutual interest to maybe do something, and that was the end of the conversation. We don't have our conference schedule and dates yet going forward, so I couldn't even give him a weekend that we could discuss."I think at some point in time that may make sense. What that point in time is, I don't know, but it's not imminent. It's certainly not a renewal of the series. If it's a game that would work out and be beneficial to both programs and the dates would work, all those things would make sense. "Not being critical, but what I read, it gave the impression that more has happened than really has happened except a concept of an idea. It would be a neutral site."

Women's tournament Heads to JacksonvilleThe 2016 women's SEC Basketball Tournament will be played in Jacksonville, league commissioner Mike Slive announced. The event will be played at the 15,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.UF coach Amanda Butler said it's good news for women's basketball in the state, and for the Gators."It's exciting for the state of Florida and for Gator fans to have such a tremendous display of elite college women's basketball being played within a short drive of Gainesville," Butler said.